12 House Velenosa Guards, Ibasia, the Velenosa Lady-in-Waiting, Ellani, the palm sized spider, Sir Thad Quackington arrive, following Jaenelle.

Khadija, a most lovely voice of reason arrives, following Svana.

Khadija, a most lovely voice of reason leaves, following Svana.

Rupert, the Laurent Archivist, 2 Valardin Knights, 1 Laurent veteran guards arrive, following Cristoph.

The evening's host looks like maybe she's had better days. Deva's right arm bobbles around in a loose-fitting sling that's not -really- doing a lot, but it's there. Just hangin' out. Unhelpful. There's a distinct lack of color in her face that she's trying to make up for with copious amounts of whiskey, which she's working on with a cup full in her good hand. She stands by the entrance to greet people as they arrive - although not with hugs this time. For some reason, she's also not wearing any shoes? Weird. Despite her very obvious discomfort, she's trying to smile through it all and usher people toward seats and food and booze.

Apollo arrives escorting Marquessa Lianne Malespero, leaning in only /slightly/ as if to catch what she might be saying. Perhaps the posture is anticipatory. When he takes in the state of the host, there's a brief murmur back toward Lianne, faintly concerned, but he gives Deva a warm smile and a bow all the same.

Petroc, the most unassuming man you have ever met, 2 Sanna House Guards, Bear leave, following Cirroch.

Khadija, a most lovely voice of reason arrives, following Svana.

Lianne's smile for Deva is bright and curious, accompanied by a high arch of her dark brows... and a subtle nod to Apollo. "I appreciate your disregard for shoes. If I hadn't half the city to trek across..." And if it weren't bitter cold outside, she'd like to think she would've done the same, but gods know that's unlikely. "Princess Deva, allow me to introduce Apollo Whisper. And perhaps inquire as to your wellness? I heard you might be in need of a healer, and Fajra's just outside with my bag, if that's true."

Duke Cristoph Laurent looks like he's just recently cleaned up, though there's a faint edge of concern growing along his features. When he hastily enters the hall, he slows his roll upon noticing that Lianna and Apollo are approaching Deva first. He quietly examines the ceiling as if it's very interesting, waiting for his opportunity to move in and speak with her.

No Whispers escort Svana tonight - she is on her own, head held high as she offers a nod of her head and a warm smile to Deva, waiting until Lianne and Apollo and the nobles are done with the woman before she approaches her. Instead she gravitates toward the alcohol, choosing something strong. There's a long, penetrative gaze for Lianne and Apollo, a quirk of her lips.

"Everyone eat up! And drink! But not too much yet." Deva says this loudly for the benefit of all the guests, because her lungs still work if not her pride. "There's a game we're playing soon!" is her explanation for the warning. As Apollo and Lianne arrive, she smiles wider, a genuine reaction despite the awkwardness in her eyes. "Whisper Apollo, Marquessa Lianne-- it's so good to see you both." There's a polite bow of her head but, unsurprisingly, little else is moved. "I just find shoes completely unnecessary and a barrier to, like, feeling the ground." That's literally what they are, and she knows it, and it's all over her face. "...Anyway. I think I mostly popped it back," she explains, looking warily toward her shoulder with a completely unexpert eye. "Um, you know, it might be good if you can poke at it before I make it worse? If you don't mind," she asides to Lianne, looking downward in shaaaaame. As Cristoph and then Svana arrive, she waves her whiskey glass at them both. "Thanks for coming!"

Deva checks 'recovery check' at normal. Deva marginally fails.

Tila enters the room excitedly, looking around at the guests. She moves to wait her turn to pay her respects to Deva, her step light and eyes twinkling.

"The grass in summer, certainly," Lianne agrees of shoes encouragingly, more than willing to go along with that flimsy logic. "The sun-warmed sand." Almost entirely wistful, that. Not at all a tease. She eyes the state of Deva's shoulder with a bit more expertise, but also turns a look back at others arriving. "How about I let you see to your guests, find myself some of that whiskey, and we'll catch up once things have settled a bit, mm?" She leans into Apollo a little, a gentle nudge drink-ward.

Apollo smiles warmly. "Princess Deva, so good to meet you. I'm sure the Marquessa will sort that shortly, once we've drinks in hand and the arriving guests are greeted. If there's anything I can do to help things run smoothly tonight, just give word." One more warm smile, and he moves along toward drinks, so steered.

Why yes, whatever is up above is very interesting to Cristoph. He offers a polite nod to Lianne and Apollo as they make their way to the drinks, yes hello and all that. Then he's moving up next to the host to speak something in hushed tones which seems to involve gesturing to her feet and then to her sling and then, strangely, toward the exit. He hasn't moved to get any whiskey or drink yet. But maybe soon!

Moving away from the drinks table, Svana finds a seat. Apparently she merely came to drink and people watch, taking a keen interest in the unusual pantomime that Christoph is doing upon approaching Deva.

Sir Alren, Scholar Duran, a perpetually put-upon assistant, 5 Templar Knight guards arrive, following Bianca.

Mumble mumble. Deva has a quiet exchange with Cristoph which, for once, she does no gesturing despite her usual dramatic gesticulation. The pain is real. Spying Svana, she cracks a smile and gives her a thoughtful look. Once people are settled with food and drink, the Redrain hostess wanders to one of the larger tables and starts explaining some things. "So tonight's festivities are in honor of my father, High Lord Sherrod. He was very fond of word games. He used to tell me riddles at breakfast and then tease me during the day to see if I had figured it out yet. I think he was hoping it would keep me from stealing his horse. I'd say he had a fifty-fifty success rate. I'd like to think my guesses at the dinner table brought him regular entertainment, at least." There's a distant, fond smile on her lips, and for a moment she tips her head to the side and allows herself to get lost in that long-passed memory. "...Anyway," she snaps out of her reverie and shakes her head. "Tonight I'm going to give each of you a word that you have to then describe without -using- the word. The first person to guess the right answer each round gets a point, and the person with the most points wins!"

Reedy, a King's Own aide arrives, following Corban.

Apollo has joined the by the bear claw hearth.

Lianne has joined the by the bear claw hearth.

Cristoph has joined the Map Table painted for House Redrain.

Bianca stepped in just as the festivities seemed to beginning and her tense figure seemed to immediately ease upon that realization after hauling poor Corban at a clipped pace through the city. She strode forward on the King's Own's arm, leading the pair further into the belly of the Great hall to try to catch ear of the instructions for the pending game as well as allowing silvered gaze to drift and take in the features of those gathered. The familiar faces of Lianne, Cristoph and Jaenelle each received their own distant greeting by way of soft smile, but soon attention turned back to Deva.

OOC: tl;dr: This is completely ripped off the Pyramid Game show, so you've been warned.

The way this is going to work is one character will be the clue giver and everyone else will guess. Everyone will have a turn being the clue giver for funsies.

I will page the clue giver their word for the round. They get to then give a pose describing the word without USING the word. This is super important. So if your word is bear, you can say stuff like: "I'm fuzzy, and I roar a lot, and sometimes I dance! And I love my life raiding picnics in Jellystone National Park!" If you use the word you're given (or a direct thesaurus equivalent) you will be disqualified, because booooo.

Because it's cool that we have a riddle skill, we'll be using it to determine how quickly your character would guess the answer. Not everyone can pose as quickly (although we will be moving things along so don't take five hours!) If you are going to guess, do it in this order:

1) POSE your guess. You get one guess.
2) @roll wits+riddles at easy

The results of that roll will be used for tiebreaking purposes in case more than one person gets it right. We'll roll again to break any ties out of that. If we have to keep rolling so help me god...

The person with the most points at the end of the night (1 winner per round) wins the glory. Any questions?

Sir Corban Telmar doesn't turn down an invitation to be the Legate's date, and so it is that he is escorting Mother Wyrmguard across the City at a fast clip, even as he tries to retain a regal enough gait by holding her on the arm. When it seems they are just in time for the announcement of the game, however, he reaches over and touches her hand lightly, reassuringly. See? that gesture seems to say. We're right on time. But he allows her to decide where they shall go first.

Lianne settles by the hearth with a glass of whiskey and a well-dressed Whisper, attention set on Deva--possibly with some hint of subdued amusement for the exchange with Cristoph--and that promise of word games. What Scholar doesn't enjoy a good word game? Spying Bianca's arrival, she turns a bright smile the Legate's way, glass lifted in wordless toast.

Svana has joined the a long cherry wood table etched with swords.

Apollo snags a whiskey (when in House Redrain...) and settles at the hearth with Lianne. Though there's also some attention for the Dukely Semaphore as well, he's making a solid attempt at being polite. He does spot Svana and gives her a lift of a hand, not quite so showy as a wave, but greeting nonetheless. "Well, this should be fun," he says. No scholar, but games, anyway!

Settling at her own table with her drink, looking back toward the food table, Svana's attention is gained by the entrance of a Legate and her date. She glances over the Wyrmgard woman before standing up and moving over to the food. What she returns to her table with is a heaping plate of Northern favorites - and another drink, though she isn't done with her first one. Svana looks toward Apollo, and acknowledging his lifted hand, gives him the upnod.

As Deva's assistant slaps some paperwork and a pen in front of her, she stares at the blank sheets. Then her glass. Then back again. And then she gives Cristoph a -very pointed- look. Using one finger, she slides the writing implements over to him with a lifted brow. "Okay! First up, since he's been so amiable-- Whisper Apollo, please! I'll give you the first word."

A short breath was exhaled with the little pat to her hand, one Bianca had been more or less holding so as to not start panting at the physical exertion of the walk here. Poor, book-bound woman trying to be athletic. It did not suit her! With the pat, her free hand lifted to give the knight's hand a squeeze in return alongside a small nod. With Lianne's beauteous smile casting its light her way, that would be the direction the holy woman was drawn. Granted one of the serving staff was intercepted for her own glass of whiskey after passing one along to Corban. "May we join you two?" Lianne was asked in a subdued tone as Apollo just got called to the limelight!

Cristoph stretches his hands over and snakes the paperwork and pen toward himself as Deva pushes them in his direction. "I got you." And from where, the duke becomes the official scorekeeper of this game. Tada!

"Oh. Well!" Apollo gives a glance aside at Lianne, and pushes to his feet, moving back to get his prompt. He sips his whiskey as he reads it, considering, head tilted. Poetry! "A nautical terror gives Islanders fashion - the teeth are a danger, but the fin is just smashing." Why not rhyme?

Deva puts her drink down long enough to snap along with Apollo's rhyme. Good stuff. Her head bobs along, a big smile on her lips.

Sir Corban smiles pleasantly to Lianne and Apollo as he follows along with the Legate. "Marquessa Lianne. A pleasure to see you." He waits until he is permitted to sit. "And ..." But no, then Apollo is called up, and Corban's introduction is cut short. A frown at the clue. "Fashion. Something they wear. Like those pirate hats?" he wonders out loud. He's more the big, muscular type.

"Absolutely," Lianne answers Bianca with a gesture of welcome to both her and her date. "It's always good to see you. And you as well, Sir Corban." Plenty of warmth by the hearth to share. "I'm not certain this gives us any advantage..." She watches Apollo slip off to get his prompt. Laughter precedes her answer for the manner in which he delivers his clue, "Shark," asserted after that giggle.

Lianne checks wits and riddles at easy. Lianne is successful.

Bianca's head tilted she sought to speak her guess, "A shark?" And then she was slipping to join Lianne in the little seating area, wry smile shifting anew to Lianne over the rim of her glass as she settled in and echoed the Marquessa's guess.

Bianca checks wits and riddles at easy. Bianca is successful.

Corban has joined the by the bear claw hearth.

Bianca has joined the by the bear claw hearth.

Bianca checks wits and riddles at easy. Bianca is successful.

Lianne checks wits and riddles at easy. Lianne is successful.

"And Marquessa Lianne in for the win!" Deva's rhyme is not nearly as cool as Apollo's, but she makes herself laugh into her drink anyway. "Mmmkay. Marquessa, since you're the winner of that one, you'll get the next word." Her smile is beaming and totally not pained at all, nope, she's fine. She's fine.

Svana is unceremoniously shovelling food and drink into her face, though she does stop to laugh when Lianne guesses. "Come now, it was too easy!"

Apollo smiles fondly when Lianne guesses, and gives a look at Deva and Cristoph that looks like a shrug worn on his face, like to say: it can't be helped. He wanders back to his seat, satisfied, and settles down to new company and murmured greetings given.

"I'll give you a really hard one!" Deva finger-wiggles at Svana, mischief in her eyes.

Lianne dips her head in gracious acceptance of the victory, though the nearby legate was only half a breath behind. "As is yours," she murmurs for Bianca, just a bit louder than the softer conversation occurring at the hearth as she rises to answer Deva's summons. "I hope we're not all expected to provide our clues in verse now," has a faintly accusatory edge, meant for Apollo, entirely teasing. Once she has her word, she considers a moment then tells the room, "I am sorrow given color, deep as the ocean and wide as the sky."

"Sorrow given color. Color. Sorrow color. But the ocean. And the sky. What is wide like the sky? Oh. But it's a color." Just talk it out, Corban. Just talk it out. It's what the audience is clamoring for. "Blue?" he says finally, looking over at Bianca to see if he's right. She probably got it first.

Corban checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 0 higher.

Svana nods to Lianne. "Blue!" She cries out in her heavy Bonespire accent, wiping her lips with a napkin in a way that suggests she might be /slightly/ more dainty than she lets on. "Otherwise I am quite stumped... colors I know about, thanks to Apollo Whisper."

Svana checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 1 higher.

Bianca spoke up after Lianne voiced her clue, her nose having wrinkled as the clue carried with it another bout of beauty much as Apollo's had despite the teasing admonishment. "Blue." She nodded.

Apollo is giving greetings and having a sip of whiskey, so might well be behind in getting his answer out - but yes, he too thinks it's, "Blue!" And - with a look shot at Svana, he laughs. It's a party game! It's fine to shout.

Apollo checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 2 higher.

Bianca checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 1 lower.

Cristoph has obtained a drink at some point and is partaking as he dutifully takes notes for Deva, occasionally showing her the scores so that she can keep up.

"Is there teamwork over there?!" Deva laughs, flashing Apollo a grin as she gives him a gesture as the one to get the answer out a breath before everyone else. "Very good, very good. I've heard complaint that this is too -easy- so... Svana, please help me with the next one!"

Lianne might be a bit pleased with herself to hear the correct answer coming from so many in the crowd, the whiskey she brought with her lifted in toast to their collective brilliance before moving to retake her seat.

Svana nods as she receives her word, then stands from the table. She considers what she might say for a long few moments before nodding. "Some feel this concept is hard to come by, particularly right now. But there is one who sees all, and stands for it. There are those who fight for it. Are you a true believer?" Svana asks of the room, leaving those clues with the sort of booming voice trained for the stage, if not ever actively put into use. Then she sits and waits, sipping her drink.

Apollo squints a moment. "Could be all sorts of things but - /likely/ -" a little louder, "justice?"

Cristoph has left the Map Table painted for House Redrain.

Rupert, the Laurent Archivist, 2 Valardin Knights, 1 Laurent veteran guards leave, following Cristoph.

Bianca turned a warm smile Corban's way. He too had guessed correctly and quicker than herself at that! She leaned to murmur something to the famed knight, her expression indicating good humor, though a chuckle was stolen aside toward Apollo in reply to something spoken amidst those at the hearth, hushed words for Corban completed and just before responding to those in her sphere she chirped out the guess to Svana's clue. "Justice?"

Apollo checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 13 higher.

Bianca checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 7 lower.

Lianne considers a few possibilities upon hearing Svana's clue, a nod tipped toward Apollo and Bianca to confirm that one was on her list, too, but she ventures something else, just in case. "Hope?" Maybe that's where she's been struggling these days, the horizon grim as it is.

Lianne checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 29 higher.

"That was lovely, Svana," Deva puts her good hand over her heart. Her bum arm is rested on the edge of the table, because the sling isn't doing much anyway. "Master Apollo is very quick! Remind me not to challenge you in-- anything?" That's what she decides on. With a smile, she curls a finger and beckons Bianca over. "Legate, would you indulge me on the next one?"

12 House Velenosa Guards, Ibasia, the Velenosa Lady-in-Waiting, Ellani, the palm sized spider, Sir Thad Quackington leave, following Jaenelle.

Apollo smiles where he sits. "I'll never match your beauty, your highness," he says, and lifts his whiskey, all ease. What else -would- he say?

Bianca nodded, rising from her seat and taking a short sip of her drink before moving to Deva in order to receive her clue. She observed the note a long moment before nodding again, affirmed. The often subdued and docile woman then lifted her voice, projection not an issue for her as a public speaker even if her preference was a softer tone. "It is often taken for granted by those born to wealth and resented by those who are not. It can be a tangible thing or an ideal, but here tonight we see it all around us." Mm, maybe she should stick to historical and theological recounting.

Deva gives Apollo an amused, but eventually grateful, smile. "I feel lovely," she chokes back a laugh, glancing down at her busted arm and shoeless feet. It's fine. She's fine. No disaster here. Finally having had enough to drink, she perches her chin on the palm of her hand and listens with a mischievous gleam in her eyes as Bianca poses the question to the crowd.

"Wealth?" Svana posits, licking something off of her spoon as she does. She takes a long drink and considers her answer for a long moment, waiting to see if anything else pops out at her.

Svana checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 3 lower.

Apollo seems glad to have seen Deva smile, regardless of source, humor or gratitude. He murmurs greetings at the fireplace, leaning back on a hand as he ponders. "Hmm," he says, watching Bianca, mouth twisting. "...she /said/ wealth, so. Ah. Plenty?"

Apollo checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 7 lower.

The tone near the hearth seems to waver between sorrow and joy, an indication of heavier topics brushed past while maintaining a more pleasant mood. Really, it's quite similar to how everyone's ignoring Deva's shoelessness and sling. Everything's fine. There's whiskey, warmth, wordplay. Why is there to worry over? Lianne calls out, "Bounty," with some uncertainty, brows knit as if she may yet be considering other possibilities.

Lianne checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 13 higher.

"You flummoxed everyone, Bianca!" Deva studied a thesaurus earlier, okay? She beams happily and nudges Cristoph to take some extra note. "Unfortunately she said wealth in her explanation so not quite," she adds for Svana's sake. "Luxury was the word! I would've accepted something like opulence or splendor," she adds with a flicker of her fingers. "Mmm. Sir Corban? Will you read the next one for us?"

Bianca laughed softly, "If none made a proper guess then it was certainly a poorly spoken clue. My apologies to the gathering!"

Corban hops up to his feet when he is summoned up to the front to give a clue to the others. He smiles and squeezes Bianca's hand as he moves up to the gathering to give the next clue. "I hope I do this okay."

Svana pauses while she realizes her error. "Oh, oh. Shit." She pauses once more. "Well, sorry - I'm a lightweight these days. It's all the Lycene wine, you understand. And the fact that my daughter's favorite game is Run Away From Mommy. It leaves one very tired." She stirs something on her plate with her spoon. "Do you see this? This is what my brain feels like."

"Bring them 'round, have a night off," Apollo says, Svana's direction, lifting his whiskey. "You'll be more solid by morning." Did... did he offer to /babysit/?

Corban leans in to listen to the answer from the hostess of the evening. There is a nod of his head as he takes it in and rubs his hands together. "Okay. I am the world in which we live and what you have when you close your eyes." A beat. "I hope yours are sweet, but I may wake you with a start."

Lianne knows this one! "Dream," she chirps with certainty.

Lianne checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 32 higher.

Pushing her plate away after having polished off a good deal of it, Svana blurts out, "The Dream! A dream!" She picks up her drink and pounds it down before looking at Apollo. "Be careful what you wish for, Uncle PoPo. You can have the almost one-year-olds, or the almost two-year-olds. If I were you, I would pick the group that Elanne isn't in," she says with a grin.

Svana checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 0 higher.

Bianca smiled as Corban voiced his clue, replying as well with, "A dream."

Apollo is a little behind with it almost surely, but he, too, pipes up with, "A dream!" - he's /right there/ to hear the clue, no excuses.

Apollo checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 4 higher.

Bianca checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 9 lower.

"I'll take them all, and have plenty of help," Apollo retorts to Svana. No-one called 'Uncle PoPo' is careful what he wishes for. That's not how you get nicknames.

Deva scoffs and waves a hand at Bianca, smiling fondly. "You need a break--" And there's Apollo for the save. "Take him up on it! You need a break!" says the woman with no children, but she sounds -really- certain about this. She seems happy as Corban gives his clue, giving the man an encouraging thumbs-up after the guesses are made and everyone does so well. "Beautifully done!" Her hand smacks the table a few times. "We seem to find ourselves a tie if the Duke has been taking accurate notes, which I have only the utmost faith in him for such. So... I'll give the last one." She lightly clears her throat before sharing: "I exist but once a year when the young or young at heart feel the pull. I can look any way you like as long as your hands are up to the task. But don't be surprised by the next dusk, because I may have lost some weight before then."

"And uh yeah Marquessa won that last one," Deva realizes she forgot to say, but like, Lianne was REALLY fast so she has to blink and catch up.

Svana grins at Deva and Apollo both, shaking her head. "Alright, if you both insist. They're all pretty adorable, if you ask me. Especially the two who look like me." She winks. "And Elanne and Rowan can say all sorts of words now! Her favorite combination thus far is 'piss off', so you have to watch what you say." She looks equal parts proud and chagrined. As for the last riddle, Svana furrows her brows and shakes her head.

Apollo doesn't... quite know this one. His brows are furrowed. "Um." Brows up. "The... first snowman?" It's the best he's got.

Lianne, too, needs some time to think. Her thoughts may have been running similar to Apollo's, but she takes a different tack, abiding by tides rather than sunlight as she proposes, "The first sandcastle?" instead.

Bianca smiled fondly toward Svana, even /talk/ of children made this lady's heart swell. Especially from a mother's lips. The Legate even snorted a short laugh, masked by the lift of her glass to her lips, at the mention of one of the children's favorite phrase. And though she seemed thoughtful at the clue, no answer seemed to rise to her lips.

"Fantastic guess, Marquessa! I'm afraid the winner of the evening must be Whisper Apollo. Gods, you're like a hound with these things," Deva rises and looks like she wants to clap, realizes she can't, so she just toasts the man. "Congratulations! I don't really have a prize other than a hearty cheer and a promise to make sure everyone knows how smart you and everyone else is in the whites." With a big smile, she bows her head graciously toward the attendees. "Thank you for coming and indulging my whims for a game, everyone. I deeply appreciate all of you."

Apollo, having been in some lighthearted conversation at the fireplace, blinks when he realizes he's won, smile redoubling. He shakes his head. "I'm perfectly glad to just to play," he says. "Thank you."

Svana smiles over at Bianca, giving something of a shy wave. She laughs and claps her hands at Deva's announcement of the winner. "Three cheers for Whisper Apollo!" She proceeds to do a rather lame 'Hip-Hip-Hooray!' for him three times in a row, then claps once more.

Svana is overheard praising Apollo: Best former patron, bestest riddler.

Svana is overheard praising Deva: Stumping us all with her riddles and hosting a great event!

Lianne, too, toasts to Apollo when his victory is declared. She tilts in close to the Whisper after she's had her sip to murmur something softly to him before regarding the other pair nearby, making a quiet comment and then rising to her feet.

Bianca is overheard praising Deva: Clever woman and clever hostess.

Deva is overheard praising Apollo: Winner winner! Redrain dinner.

Bianca set her glass aside to give a light applause for Apollo upon the announcement of his win. This was followed by a dip of her head, a mental note and another warm smile for Svana.

Lianne is overheard praising Deva: Warmth, whiskey and wordplay. Precisely what this winter needed.

Lianne is overheard praising Apollo: A clever competitor. I don't mind losing to his quick wit.